Return fraud

Return fraud is the act of defrauding a retail store via the return process.[1] There are various ways in which this crime is committed. For example, the offender may return stolen merchandise to secure cash, or steal receipts or receipt tape to enable a falsified return, or to use somebody else's receipt to try to return an item picked up from a store shelf. Return abuse is a form of "friendly fraud" where someone purchases products without intending to keep them.[2] Perhaps the most well-known form of this abuse is "wardrobing" or "free renting" – in which the person makes a purchase, uses the product(s), and then returns the merchandise.[3][4]

The retail industry experiences a significant fraud and abuse problem, losing money in the range of $24 billion per year, roughly 7% of all returns and exchanges.[5]

In order to offset and recover the losses incurred from fraudulent returns, retailers raise prices for shoppers.[6] Some stores create strict return policies such as "no receipt, no return" or imposed return time restrictions such as a 30-day limit on all returns that impact all shoppers.[7]

Some returned merchandise must be discounted or discarded after return. For example, after being returned, out-of-season clothing may have to be sold at a discount, and some clothing items such as lingerie may have to be discarded for health reasons.[8]

Types

Some examples of the return fraud and abuse problems include:[9]

  • Wardrobing or renting: Purchasing merchandise for short-term use with the intent to return the item, such as a dress for a special occasion, a video camera for graduations and weddings or a big-screen television for the Super Bowl.[3]
  • Returning stolen merchandise: Shoplifting with the objective to return the item(s) for full price, plus any sales tax.
  • Receipt fraud: Utilizing reused, stolen or falsified receipts to return merchandise for profit. Alternatively, returning goods purchased on sale or from a different store at a lower price with the intention of profiting from the difference.[10]
  • Employee fraud: Assistance from employees to return stolen goods for full retail price.
  • Price switching: Placing higher priced labels on merchandise with the intention of returning the item(s) at a higher price than purchase.
  • Price arbitrage: Purchasing differently priced, but similar-looking merchandise and returning the cheaper item as the expensive one.
  • Switch fraud: Purchasing a working item, and returning a damaged or defective identical item that was already owned.
  • Bricking: Purchasing a working electronic item, and deliberately damaging or stripping it of valuable components to render it unusable, then returning the item for profit.
  • Cross-retailer return: Returning or exchanging an item purchased at another retailer (usually at a lower price) for cash, store credit or a similar, higher-priced item at another retailer.
  • Open-box fraud: Purchasing an item from a store and returning it opened with the intent to re-purchase it at a lower price under the store's open-box policies. A variation of price-switching.

Return policies have historically served as the primary way for retailers to combat return fraud and abuse; the challenge is keeping policies from being overly restrictive and/or inconsistently interpreted, both of which may discourage loyal customers and affect purchases.[8] Separately, automated solutions have also been developed to help combat return fraud and abuse, including software programs that detect such behavior and help retailers determine whether a return is valid.[11]

See also
  • Claude Allen, assistant to U.S. President George W. Bush who resigned after being arrested for return fraud

References
  1. Larson, Aaron (20 May 2016). "Shoplifting Laws and Punishments". ExpertLaw.com. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  2. "Retail Refund Fraud and Abuse". LPM Insider. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2003.
  3. Roberts, Deborah; Orso, Alberto (3 December 2008). "Buy, Wear, Return, Repeat". ABC News. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  4. Rosenbaum, Mark S.; Kuntze, Ronald (May 2005). "Looking good at the retailer's expense: investigating unethical retail disposition behavior among compulsive buyers". Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. 12 (3): 217. doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2004.07.001.
  5. "Naughty or nice: 3 things to know about fraud during the holiday season". NRF. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  6. Kavilanz, Parija B. (11 November 2009). "Store theft cost to your family: $435". CNN Money. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  7. Kokemuller, Neil. "Merchandise Return Policies". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  8. Rittman, Tom. "7 Surprising Ways Retailers Lose Money". Retail Info Systems. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  9. Rittman, Tom (3 December 2012). "Nine Tactics Consumers Use to Make Fraudulent Returns". Chain Store Age. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  10. Hutton, Caleb (2018-08-04). "Elaborate shoplifting schemes often feed thieves' drug habit". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  11. Cardone, Caroline; Hayes, Read (2 August 2017). "The Evolving Impact of Return Fraud and Abuse". LPM Insider. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.